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Some of these are scans of my own cards and books, and some from correspondents, but many are from cards advertised on eBay. I appreciate the quality scans presented by a few, and wonder why anyone bids on the poor ones. Thanks for the pictures, Marian Natale, Russ DuPont, Cynthia Blakely.

Postcards

There are a limited number of Wellfleet scenes, but they were tried in several variations each over the past 100 years. Popular ones were the village from the harbor and across Uncle Tim's bridge, the village and harbor from the Congregational Church tower, Main Street, Commercial Street, Billingsgate Light, Mayo's Beach Light, Chequesset Inn, the oyster packing buildings, Marconi wireless station and Cahoon Hollow Life-Saving Station.. I'd guess the most often issued card was the black-fish school ashore in 1884 (where the date is carefully omitted, to seem recent). Less common are various other inns and camps, pond scenes, and South Wellfleet. Many of the early cards were hand-colored prints, so there are gray versions, and variously colored versions.
    Local publishers include Covell Mfg. and Everett Nye.

1500 blackfish ashore in 1884 at South Wellfleet	whale in the harbor in the 1960s

village with labels

looking west along Railroad Ave., across Commercial Street, I think. This is a non-postcard photograph.

rail depot in 1909, looking east?

  This was Wellfleet's Library from 1910-1950, with the selectmen's office on the second floor. This is now the Historical Society building.

The South Wellfleet Congregational Church seems to have been built circa 1833, and the South Wellfleet cemetery was developed around it. It was saved from the wreckers, and moved to the town center as Colonial Hall/Memorial Hall in 1919. It was saved again to be the town hall, in 1940, and the library opened on the second floor in 1950. It burned to the ground in 1960, and the current building is a replica.

Cahoon Hollow Life-Saving Station. This is now the Beachcomber.

Wellfleet village in 1877, with this view from around the Congo church.

oyster houses at the railroad trestle over Duck Creek

same scene, different caption and coloring

The Lighthouses



The Ponds

There is just sand, scrub and few trees in the older view of Gull and Higgins Ponds.	The house between the ponds  seems to be the "Wellfleet Oysterman's," seen in more views below.
Cape Codders were not thrilled with Thoreau's depiction of them, but quickly began to cash in on the connections.

Great Pond	North East and Great Ponds
lightly colored early card of Gull Pond	Long Pond, 1920s

The beaches were not popular subjects, and if you think about it, that makes sense. Their empty panoramas don't lend themselves to postcard format, and pictures with people look dated quickly. Nearly all the pictures are at Bay beaches - the ocean was much less accessible, as well as colder and rougher.

Mayo's Beach	bathing beach, early
bathing beach, looking north	bathing beach, later
bathing beach	back side

South Wellfleet

Marconi Wireless Telegraphy Station, 1906	Marconi Wireless Telegraph Station, 1908
Marconi Wireless Station	Marconi Wireless Station
South Wellfleet General Store, c1940s	the little store, South Wellfleet, 1916
street scene, South Wellfleet, 1916	Social Union Hall, South Wellfleet
Railroad Station, South Wellfleet	Railroad Station, South Wellfleet, 1910

Pleasant Point, South Wellfleet, c 1933	cottages at Point Pleasant, South Wellfleet
Stubb's Boat Landing, South Wellfleet	Prospect Hill, South Wellfleet